The importance of selling in wrestling.

[TSG]

As much as many people like to talk about how good someone is in the ring, and how great of a grasp someone has on in-ring psychology, one aspect that gets over-looked a lot is a person's selling ability.

As great as someone looks in the ring, as good as some people may be, they won't look worth two cents if someone isn't selling for them. It's a basic building block of in-ring work in pro wrestling, because if someone doesn't sell good enough for you, you're going to look like crap, and you won't get over.

For selling to be good, it has to be realistic, and it has to be effective. You can't oversell, or undersell. A good seller will realize what the line is between the two, and make an opponent look like gold, but won't make it look fake or non-effective, by selling too much, or not enough. He will also realize that you can't just sell every now and then, but you have to sell every move to a point that it looks good, and makes all of your opponents offensive weapons look threatening and effective. So, with that being said...

Do you think selling is under emphasized?

How important is selling in pro wrestling, and in relation to in-ring work overall?

Does pro wrestling need more people who can sell effectively, and who are some of the best currently?

What makes good selling or a good seller?

 

[ABMorales787]

You sell when you get hit. You get kicked in the groin, you sell it as a low blow. It's up to the wrestler to remember they got hit there and play it up. There isn't anything regarding selling that is under-emphasized. Most midcarders lack on that field. That's why they aren't brought up to the main event in a way. They wouldn't really be able to get the fans to care how they should. A babyface needs to know how to sell a beating. That means keeping track of where you are hit.

It's not really important in TNA and most of WWE, but it is pretty critical in WWE's main event scene. It is what made Hogan seem so great in the ring and today is the same thing with John Cena. So yeah, I'd say it's pretty important. But it's certainly not under emphasized.

 

[Blue Chipper]

Selling is the act of reacting to the opposition's offense. It's obviously an incredibly important aspect of wrestling, without it the entire illusion of professional wrestling is shattered. Logical selling is the best and most effective. Wrestling is based on the premise that it's real, and thus selling should be believable. Over selling and under selling work too but only in certain circumstances and on specific moves, i.e., not on a consistent basis. Rock's overselling of Stone Cold's stunner was memorable and funny, but it would be too much if he oversold every move in Stone Cold's arsenal.

A lot of workers today seem to be able to logically sell a move, most notably Cena. Whatever the situation, he makes you believe the punishment he's taking is genuine. And that is what makes a good seller.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Do you think selling is under emphasized?

Not quite sure what you mean by this. If you mean is it underemphasised when wrestlers are being trained then it is really hard to say, it could be different for every wrestler.

How important is selling in pro wrestling, and in relation to in-ring work overall?

Selling is EXTREMELY important to ring work, good or bad selling is the different between having a match seem realistic and by extension good (if all other aspects are also good that is) and having it seem like totally fake and unrealistic. Think about it, how often do you see someone have a body part, lets say a leg in this case, worked over for a whole match, while it is being worked over the selling is good then, all of a sudden, he is on offence again, he is running freely on the leg without even a limp, climbing to the top rope, kicking the guy in the face with the leg etc. Something like that can completely ruin what was shaping up to be a good match.

Does pro wrestling need more people who can sell effectively, and who are some of the best currently?

Yes, wrestling need more people who can sell effectively. Think about it, if you are a really good seller, if nothing else, you will always be guaranteed a spot as a jobber if you can sell a beating really well.

Some of the best sellers today? John Cena comes to mind, especially when he is working extreme rules, or NO DQ matches. I think back to the I Quit match with Miz earlier in the year, he really did make me believe he was in genuine pain, which is the mark of a good seller. Daniel Bryan is another one, I remember being a part of an LD for I think Night Of Champions last year, during his match with Miz I remember several people were wondering if DBD's arm injury was legit. If you can make people believer you are truly injured and then be consistent with that during the match then that is the mark of a good seller.

What makes good selling or a good seller?

As I said before, if you can make people genuinely believe that you are hurt or injured then you are doing a good job with your selling. That is the easy part though, what makes a truly great seller though in my opinion is being consistent with the injury and not just selling when you are being worked over. If you get your arm worked over for 10 minutes I don't want to see you hitting big clotheslines later in the match, if you get your leg worked over I don't want a super kick, sure there has to be some leeway for "adrenaline" but not too much.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Selling is everything and a wrestler has to remember that the other person in the ring with him isn't actually his opponent, but rather, his partner.

But we shouldn't think of selling only as showing the proper reaction to being hit. Yes, that's vitally important, and for some reason it makes me think back to the days of Tajiri, a small wrestler who was (apparently) so busy thinking of his next offensive move that he'd often show no reaction to a strong offensive maneuver launched by his opponent. It looked like total garbage when he would do that, and I can just imagine the resentment he must have created in the locker room.

Selling also involves being in the right spot to receive your enemy's moves. It may seem easy, but it isn't. Fighting Sin Cara is a good example; his moveset strains believability because those high-flying moves would never work in a shoot fight, obviously. But this guy launches himself in the air and it's strictly up to his opponent to be in the correct spot to take the blow when Cara comes down. If you want to know what happens if he isn't in the right place, ask Chavo Guerrero.

Lately, WWE has made Cara look better by opposing him with guys who sell better. Look how good he looked against Evan Bourne and Tyson Kidd than in previous contests. They are such accomplished "sellers" that the entire match looked better because of them. It makes all the difference in the world.

But let's not forget the importance of how you react when you're hit. Nothing looks as good for a wrestler as when his opponent falls as if he's been struck by the hand of God after a particularly effective maneuver.

Without good selling, there would be no professional wrestling.

 

[Floyd Sinclair]

Selling should be a huge part of what a wrestler can do. A good seller makes wrestling look more believable. If someone gets powerbombed and acts as if the move did nothing, then why should we believe the move even hurt.

With that said, I don't think there is enough in SOME areas of wrestling. WWE, at times, tends to do okay with their talent selling moves, but TNA and other, faster paced promotions, tend to avoid selling all together, as a means to keep the matches at a faster pace. That isn't all together bad, it's just not believable.

As for your convincing sellers of today, CM Punk has it in the bag. Sure, alot of people are talking Punk at the moment, but there is no doubt in my mind he is the best in this area. He has the facial expressions and actions that make it look like his opponent is killing him in the ring, and that makes his matches look more like a genuine struggle.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

PROPER SELLING. That's what we need...

Do you think selling is under emphasized?
In the WWE.. ITS USED WAAAAAYYYYYY TOOOOO MUCH. Like I said.. Wrestlemania.. John Cena vs The Miz.. who is going to believe that the Miz's weak ass punches are knocking John Cena out like he just got hit by Tyson? Because that's how Cena sells. I can't stand WWE's matches because of their overselling.

How important is selling in pro wrestling, and in relation to in-ring work overall?
Well it's important. But it has to be realistic. Like I said.. John Cena getting hit by The Miz's weak as punches and him laying on the mat like he's dead.. just doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't the Miz just cover him then? Triple H and Undertaker crawling on the mat for 2 minutes... o... k.... awkward to watch on TV.. especially since the matches they had when they were younger were more vicious and they didn't even sell half as much as they did in WM27.

Does pro wrestling need more people who can sell effectively, and who are some of the best currently?
No need more realism. Especially the WWE. Need less OVER SELLERS...

What makes good selling or a good seller?
Realism and it being believable. I can't believe I gotta bring Cena's name up again, but he is a prime abuser of selling. He does it way to much.. how about some action Mr. Cena? Why do we always have to watch you play a ragdoll while your opponent half the time doesn't even know what to do with you because you don't fight back til the end...

The end of my rant. As you can see.. I feel that's the biggest problem with WWE these days.. besides Michael Cole's horrible announcing.

 

[Calderownz]

Do you think selling is under emphasized?

Yes and no. It depends, obviously. However, for the most part, I would say that it is.

People don't look for it. Wrestling, before, had some people believing in it. So, you didn't have to believe the guy was hurt or injured by the move. You just assumed it was true. Now, more and more, people know the secrets of the trade, in some regards.

Because of that, we don't pay attention to the selling as often as we should. We look for the moves, or the way they are performed, rather than how the man sells the move itself.

How important is selling in pro wrestling, and in relation to in-ring work overall?

It's 50% of the action. That's the interesting part. Without the selling, it's just guys performing moves and then moving on to the next one. No story. Nothing memorable. Nothing to keep watching for. You need the action, but you also need the reaction just as much.

Does pro wrestling need more people who can sell effectively, and who are some of the best currently?

Evan Bourne and LowKi come to mind. Cena, when he doesn't overdo it. Orton can sell a move pretty well as well. Christian. I think every wrestler should have the ability to sell well, so yes. The business needs more workers able to properly sell. It's not always over-the-top, HBK-Hogan stuff. Subtly goes a long ways.

What makes good selling or a good seller?

Subtly, as I mentioned. Also, knowing when to go for it. Not every move has to look like your life just ended. But at pivotal moments in the match, it has to look as close to legit as possible.

The worker has to be able to make you believe what he's going through. Sometimes, that's the way you let your body lay after the move. Sometimes, it's what the impact looks like. Sometimes, it's the look on the face of the guy receiving the move. It all depends.